Witchwood
The strange entities called Witchwoods are Grymkin that alongside the others of their kind have appeared in the folktales and fables of several cultures throughout the centuries. Described as large, predatory trees accompanied by beautiful young companions, these supernatural beings serve as warnings to unwary or foolish travelers who might be tempted to stray off safe and well-worn paths through the dark wilds of Immoren. The witchwood is not a single being, it is formed by two distinct, yet inseparable, parts: that of a gnarled and imposing animate tree and an alluring human companion who beckons the unwary to walk into the monster’s murderous grasp.No Quarter #73 Unlike many of its fellow grymkin who lived lives stained with wickedness, the souls that become witchwoods were once innocents that died violent deaths due to the wickedness of others. Many believe witchwood to be a result of a witch enchanting a seedling watered with the blood of an innocent that grows up to serves as both a protector and a murderous tool of the witch but in reality the souls that become witchwoods are innocent women who were unjustly accused of and executed for the crime of witchcraft. Witchwoods can also arise from any innocent victim whose life is cut short by a particularly brutal crime if the victims feel a particularly strong sense of betrayal and powerlessness in their final moments and that they languish without last rites. Confused, angry and crippled by mental anguish, these souls often become lost after passing to Urcaen, eventually collected by the Defiers and transformed into potent tools of violent justice.As with all grymkin, the transformation of a soul to a witchwood strips away much of the personal essence of the individual. The grymkin that emerges forgets its past and must obey the metaphysical rules and laws that govern others of its kind. For the witchwood, this means an instinctual need to lure and ensnare those who enact evil. To experience the witchwood’s call is to have one’s inner darkness unveiled and brought forward, to be overcome by dark desires and then be punished for them. Prior to the Wicked Harvest, witchwoods used their powers to prey on anyone who allowed their passions to lead them, even briefly to wickedness. While this gave them a wide range of possible victims their most desired prey were men and women who justified wickedness under the veil of righteousness. Carnal sins are favored but are not their sole province. Anyone whose intense emotions have led them astray draws their ire. A priest who yielded to base passions to manipulate and seduce a young parishioner might look out his window to see a woman in gabardine robes beckoning from beneath an aged oak. A town sheriff who in a fury pursues justice outside the law might one day be found hanged from the thick branch of a long-dead tree, at his feet a red apple with a single bite taken to reveal its rotten core. Witchwoods have been called forth for the Wicked harvest by their Defier masters and are a key piece of the Grymkin vanguard. They move unseen amid natural landscapes and able to fool even the keenest eyes, making them ideal scouts. Concealed among the groves surrounding a village, witchwoods use their powers to reveal the wickedness within the village’s inhabitants and to draw other grymkin to punish them. By luring messengers and travelers to a grisly death among their talon-like branches, no plea for help can reach the ears of those who might interfere with the Wicked Harvest. Once battle is joined, the witchwoods use their entrancing powers to turn enemies against each other, sowing confusion and betrayal. Combined with the horror the mere presence the unnatural members of the Wicked Harvest evoke, this can lead to the complete collapse of a town’s militia and defenders. Such volunteers lack the steely discipline and professional resolve required to stand firm against these horrors. References Category:Hordes Category:Grymkin Category:Unit